The buzzing of my phone startled me awake. The curtains were pulled tight against the window, plunging the room into a muted darkness. As I reached for the phone, images from last night returned to me.

Zane's lips on mine. His hands running down my body. Us whispering each other's names. A warmness spread over me. 

"Hello," I muttered, sitting up and surveying the room warily. My dress lay in a heap beside my heels. Zane's shirt lay at the foot of the bed. 

"Hey! It's Hannah." There was an unmistakable edge to her voice. We didn't have a chance to talk last night after my fight with Mitch. She was probably mad at me for causing a scene at her engagement party. 

"I'm really sorry about last night," I mumbled groggily before she had a chance to speak. Stretching, I reached out for Zane's shirt and slipped it on. 

"Don't apologize! You didn't do anything wrong." She cleared her throat. "I'm actually calling to let you know that Mitch was arrested this morning." 

My brain was foggy and her words didn't register at first. "For the fight last night?"

She didn't say anything for a few seconds and I thought she had hung up. "No. Something else. Drug possession." The news should have been shocking but it wasn't. What surprised me more than anything was that he wasn't arrested sooner. It was hard to push down the happiness that blossomed in my chest. 

We talked for a little while longer about last night and Hannah assured me that she wasn't mad at me. After she hung up, I stared at my phone and thought about Mitch's arrest. Something wasn't adding up. Karma couldn't be that quick. 

Thinking about the arrest, I brushed my teeth and ran my fingers through my matted hair. My lipstick was smudged and my eyes crusty. Before leaving the room, I threw on a pair of shorts. The light was on in Zane's office, casting a soft glow into the living room.

Zane was sitting on his couch, wearing nothing but a pair of sweats. He was fiddling with his chain while scrolling through his phone. Seeing him caused the memories from last night to resurface with force, causing my face to redden. 

His eyes passed over my body quickly. "My shirt looks good on you," he said with a grin. 

I crossed my arms and fixed my gaze on him, trying to focus. "Mitch was arrested this morning for drug possession. Did you know?"

Zane shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the couch, projecting a level of calm around me that was rare. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He reached out for a mug and took a long sip, keeping his eyes locked on mine. This familiar back-and-forth between us was thrilling. 

I wasn't sure when it happened. The feelings were unexpected but real. They made me feel alive and whole, nothing like I had ever experienced before. Slowly but surely I had developed feelings for Zane. I couldn't imagine things coming to an end after a month. 

"Liar," I said, raising an eyebrow at him. 

He let out a sigh. "Fine. I did have something to do with his arrest."

"Ha. I knew it!"

"Believe it or not, he was selling during the party." Setting his cup down, he ran his fingers through his hair. "I called in an anonymous tip about Mitch."

After the fight, a childish part of me was angry with Zane for not stepping in and defending me. Now I felt guilty for thinking that. He had stood up for me in his own way. My heart swelled with love for the man sitting on the couch and giving me a sheepish look, his eyes sparkling. 

"I wanted to rip him another one for hurting you."

I closed the distance between us and slowly lowered myself onto Zane so that I was straddling him. His eyebrows went up in surprise before he brought his hands to my hips. "This is way better," I said, running my hands over his shoulders and then through his hair. I would have loved to see Mitch's face when he got arrested. 

Grabbing a fistful of Zane's hair, I tugged lightly and clenched my jaw at the noise that escaped his lips. "Sarah," he moaned, closing his eyes. 

"I was thinking that you might reconsider the one-month deadline," I laughed, kissing him along his jaw and then neck. 

"Whatever you say, sweetheart." We sat like that for some time, kissing and running our hands over each other. His touch was intoxicating, leaving my body burning with intense heat. 

There was a loud knock at the door, causing us to jump apart and stare at each other with wide eyes. Zane cleared his throat, adjusted his chain and said, "I'll see who it is." I slid down to the couch and rubbed my sweaty hands across my shorts. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, causing my heart to hammer loudly. 

It was our neighbour, the dentist, informing us that she noticed something suspicious with Zane's car. Despite Zane assuring her that the parking lot was locked overnight, she still wanted him to check it out. He closed the door and leaned against it. 

I was standing in the living room now, watching him carefully. "You should probably take a look," I whispered, half hoping that he wouldn't leave and we could go back to his couch. 

"I should." His intent gaze was fixed on me again. Zane's neck and shoulders were slightly red. Seeing them made me blush and look away. 

He moved to slip on his shoes and grab his car keys. I caught a glimpse of his tattoo. As he turned the doorknob, I slipped off his shirt and tossed it to him. He caught it easily. "Don't want to shock our neighbours," I teased. 

Zane took his sweet time buttoning the shirt, while I stood half-naked in the living room with my arms wrapped around my chest. "Stop staring."

"I'm not starring. Just admiring you." My head was spinning from his attention. "Don't move. I'll be back in a minute," he said seriously before disappearing outside. The strange thing was that I stayed perfectly still, waiting for him to return. 

***

We were cruising along a dark stretch of road, listening to the radio, large smiles on our faces.  I hadn't planned on going to my mom's wedding. Surprisingly, it was a call from her future husband that made me give in. Zane and I were heading to the reception hall now.

There weren't that many cars around us, which made me a tad nervous. The darkness outside seemed endless, cold and empty. Leave it to my mom to select an eccentric location in the middle of nowhere for her venue. 

"Are you sure the car is okay?" I asked for what felt like the tenth time. Zane squeezed my hand and gave me a quick nod. Our neighbour was convinced someone tampered with Zane's car this morning. Everything seemed perfectly fine though, the doors were locked and nothing had been stolen. 

Suddenly, smoke started seeping out from the hood, slowly at first and then much stronger.  Dread spread through me, making my heart pound faster. The white fog was blocking our view of the road. "That's not good," Zane muttered, signalling and then pulling over. 

He exited the car and I followed with my phone in hand, turning on the flashlight and pointing it at the car's hood. "Something is wrong with the engine," I noted, trying to recall my basic knowledge of cars. 

Zane coughed as he pushed the hood up, waving away the smoke. "You could tell me anything right now and I would probably believe you." He threw a confused look my way. "I know absolutely nothing about cars," he added with a sigh. 

"Guess we should call someone," I said, expecting our surroundings for the first time. We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thick forests, shrouded in darkness. I could hear crickets chirping and mosquitos buzzing around my ears. 

"The engine is here," Zane pointed at it and then glanced up at me. His expression was so adorable that I leaned forward and kissed him. He tensed at my touch but then relaxed, reaching out to wrap his hand around mine.

A car pulled up beside us and relief washed over me. Everything was going to be okay. We weren't going to be eaten by wolves or mauled by bears tonight. That was until I saw the figures exiting the car.

They were wearing dark scarves over their noses and thick beenies. Zane's grip on my hand tightened and he pushed me behind him. One of the strangers pulled out a gun and aimed it at us. 

"Step away from the girl," the man said cooly. I didn't react, too stunned to move. A shiver ran down my back when Zane raised his hands up gingerly. 

"Don't hurt her," he said, slowly stepping away from me. His eyes were wide and fear was emanating from him, encircling me like a snare. "I have money in the car."

"Bag them," he said, gesturing to the woman beside him. She stepped forward and placed a bag on Zane's head. After she was done with him, she did the same to me. I didn't protest when they ripped the phone away from me or when she shoved us into their car. 

There was something so familiar about the woman's eyes and demeanour. I could tell that Zane had sensed it too.